TOKYO, Japan: Data released by the Japanese government last week showed that in 2021, Japan witnessed a record low number of births, leading to the country’s highest ever natural population decline.
In 2021, there were 811,604 births, the least recorded in health ministry data dating to 1899, while deaths climbed to 1,439,809, leading to an overall population decline of 628,205.
The overall fertility rate, the average number of children born to a woman in her lifetime, dropped for the sixth consecutive year to 1.3.
Japan has one of the most rapidly aging populations in the world. The closure of its borders during the COVID-19 pandemic has further shrunk its workforce.
